Method for producing nut butter



1942- I J. c. v. RICHARDSON ETAL 2,302,574

METHOD FOR PRQDUCING NUT BUTTER l A V v .2 N

Eldon '34) Nov. 17, 1942- J. c. v. RICHARDSON ETAL 2,302,574

METHOD FOR PRODUCING NUT BUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1939 kfonat/mn C M ardJon Wade/ ick H. Hq/fman I WMWZZWQ Patented Nov. 17, 1942 a UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE METHOD FOR PRODUCING NUT BUTTER Jonathan 0. v. Richardson and Frederick 11. Hoffman, Columbus, 01110- Application April 5, 1939, Serial No. 266,211)

. oleaginous addition or stabilizing agent is ap- 6 Claim.

plied, are fed between a pair of relatively movable grinding plates, while extraneous heat is applied it is often too dimcult to properly spread on bread or other bakery products. To increase its ability to spread and to overcome its excessively dry taste, it is customary to add certain edible oils in regulated quantities to the ground peanuts prior to packing the same. It has been found, however, that when sufficient oils are admixed with the-ground nuts to produce the desired plasticity to provide for smooth and convenient application of the butter to baked products, and to overcome undesired dryness, the oil content of the mixture is so high that the product on standing, or during shipment and storage, permits the oils contained therein to separate in part from the more solid portions of the body. This is objectionable to the users of such products, since the oil separation set forth is ordinarily of such a nature as to require the user to rework the separated oil into the body of the product or remove it completely therefrom.

It is one of the primary aims of the present invention to provide a method and means for producing an edible nut butter having a relatively high natural and added oil content and which 1 butter, during its manufacture, is so thoroughly homogenized, or rendered of uniform composition, that it will highly resist liberation or separation of free oil from the more solid portions of the product.

In the attainment of this end, a method and means are provided for heating the nuts to relatively elevated temperatures while the same have applied thereto an oleginous addition agent and while undergoing reduction in size by the operation of grinding instrumentalities. Hitherto, peanut grinding mills have been temperatures, except for the heat developed by the grinding operation per se, and it has been found that greatly improved results are obtainable by applying artificially supplied heat thereto,

particularly during the grinding and mixing operations while the nuts are coated with oils In accordance with the present invention, roasted and blanched pean operated at room a ts, to which an to the plates and the nut kernels undergoing reduction to cause a forced swelling of the nut particles with a resultant finer grinding and an increase in surface area of the ground nut particles. Y The presence of the stabilizing agent (usually an edible hydrogenated oil) on the peanuts permits of the employment of higher grinding temperatures and,- as a result of the finer grind, the said agent is uniformly distributed in adhering relation on the augmented surfaces of the reduced nut particles, preventing the starch 1 grains composing the product from substantially contracting in 'size following the grinding and liberating the oils present thereon. v

Following the reduction stage, the present invention provides an homogenizing or mixing stage, wherein additional oils, sweetening agents, or other-consistency or flavor regulating compounds may be introduced in proportionate quantities into the reduced nut mixture. While within the homogenizing stage, the several products are subjected to required agitation, while under the influence of extraneously applied heat, to produce the final butter mixture, which is characterized by its uniformity in composition and its ability to resist separation of its oil and solid components. Other objects of the invention reside in the provision of a nut grinding mill for producing nut butter, wherein the casing of the mill is provided with communicating passages or Jackets adapted for the reception of a fluid heat carrier and by which the required operating temperatures of the mill are obtained; in the provision of pump means, synchronized with the operation of the grinding plates of the mill, for introducing in regulated and accurately proportioned amounts various addition agents to the nut kernels, and in other features and advantages hereinafter detailed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, and in which similar characters of reference are used to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views thereof:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a nut grinding mill having the structural features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the mill on the plane indicated by the line Ill-11 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line IHIII of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line IV--IV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 isa vertical sectional view on the plane disclosed by the line V-V of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a view in end elevation, partly in section, of the pump mechanism of the mill, the plane of the figure being indicated by the line VIVI of F18. 2;

Fig. 7 is a detail horizontal sectional view of the pump driving mechanism on the plane disclosed by the line VII-VII of Fig. 2.

In carrying out the present invention, the

grinding mill of the type disclosed in the drawings is employed. In the particular form of the mill selected for illustration, the same embodies a casing Hi, formed internally to provide a nutreceiving hopper II, a grinding or reducing chamber l 2 and a mixing or homogenizing chamber IS, the chamber I! being arranged substantially vertically within the casing, while the chamber l3 communicates openly with the bottom portions of the chamber l2, but extends horizontally and longitudinally of the mill. The bottom of the casing is formed with spaced sup porting pads l4, by which the casing may be mounted on a suitable supporting base in a stable upright manner. One end of the casing is formed with a detachable head casting IS, in which is formed a transmission chamber It, the latter being normally covered by a removable end plate ll. Rotatably mounted in a bearing 18, formed in the casting l5, and in a horizontally aligned bearing l8, formed in one of the walls of the casing I0, is a main drive shaft 20, this shaft being driven by a suitable motor, belt wheel or other source of power.

Arranged on the squared portion 2| of the shaft 20, and disposed in the restricted bottom of the hopper H is a feed auger 22 by which whole roasted peanuts in a clean state are advanced in regulated quantities through the restricted outlet 23 in the bottom of the hopper toward and into engagement with the stationary and rotatable-grinding plates 24 and 2!, respectively, of the mill. The rotatable plate 25 is mounted on the squared portion 2| of the shaft for rotation in unison with the'latter, while the stationary plate 24 may be integrally formed with one of the walls of the casing III or separately formed and'suitably fixed on the casing wall. Both plates are provided with complemental juxtaposed, tangentially extending ribs 26, which project laterally from the bodies of the plates so that the nut kernels removed from the hopper through the outlet 23, will be received by the inner curved surfaces 21 of the plate and advanced gravitationally into engagement with the grinding ribs 26, the ground or reduced nuts being discharged from the outer peripheral portions of said plates and dropped into the mixing chamber I3.

One of the important features of the present invention resides in supplying the nuts, while they are undergoing reduction between the grinding plates, with an oleaginous stabilizing or addition agent in the form of an edible hydrogenated oil. This is done by providing one end of the drive shaft 20 with a worm gear 28, which meshes with a similar gear 29, fixed to rotate with a transversely extending countershaft 30, the latter having its ends journaled in bearings 3i provided in the walls of a pump-receiving boning 32, which is detachably connected with one of the walls of the casing l0. Fixed on the shaft 30 are spaced mitre gears 33, which mesh with corresponding gears 34. carried by the operating shafts 35 of a set of three pumps, the latter being indicated in Fig. 6 by the reference characters 36, I1 and 38. These pumps may be of any suitable design adapted for the regulated transmission and displacement of viscous fluids.

The inlet line 29 of the pump 21 leads from the tank or other receiver, not shown, adapted for the reception of the hydrogenated oil which is here referred to as the stabilizing agent. This oil enters the pump 31 through the line 28 and is positively discharged from said pump by the action of its rotors through the outlet line 40. As shown in Fig. 2, this outlet line is coupled with a small diameter longitudinally extending bore 4| provided in the casing wall forming the bottom of the hopper H, the said bore extending to the central portions of the grinding plates 24 and 25, so that the nuts delivered to said plates from the hopper II will be sprayed or coated with the stabilizing agent when engaged by the grinding ribs oi said plates.

The pump 38 has its inlet side connected with a pipe line 42 which leads to a receiver, not shown, containing pure edible oil such, for example, as a product known commercially as green peanut oil. The outlet line of the pump 36 is coupled with an inclined passage 42, formed in the walls of the casing ill below the hopper H, as shown more particularly in Figs. 2.and 3. The passage 43 terminates at its opposite end in the plane of merger of the grinding and mixing chambers l2 and 13, respectively. By this means, an added amount of edible oil may be supplied to the ground peanuts discharged from the plates 24 and 25. In certain instances, it has been proposed to add pure bees honey to peanut butter to improve the taste and, in the present instance, this may be done by the employment of the pump indicated at 22. The inlet line 44 of this pump extends to a source of supply, not shown, of bees honey in a liquid or fiowable state, so that by the operation of the pump 38, such a sweetening agent will be discharged through the outlet line 45, which leads to a diagonal passage 46 arranged in the casing II! in parallel order with the passage 43, and by which the sweeting agent is delivered to the ground mix released from the plates 24 and 2!.

It will be obvious that mitre gears 31 and 34 having different tooth ratios may be used at will in order to secure any desired relative proportioning of the liquid-like materials handled by the pumps 36, 31 and 38. The pump boxing 32 is provided with a removable front plate 41 so that the pumps and associated pipe lines will be conveniently accessible for repair or adjustment purposes.

To produce a smoothly blended mixture of the ground nuts and the various addition agents, the mill provides a homogenizing or mixing stage of which th chamber I3 forms a part. The mixture of ground nuts and the several addition agents drops into the chamber 13 from the grinding chamber I2, where the mixture is engaged and thoroughly agitated by a worm-type conveyor 48. This conveyor is equipped with a shaft 49 with which it rotates. one end of the shaft being journaled in a bearing 5H, formed horizontally in the head casting !5, while the opposite end or the haft is received Within the bearing 5! formed in a discharge spout casting 52.

The conveyor or agitator has its shaftfl extended beyond the bearing 50 into the chamber iii of the casting l5, where the shaft 49 is provided with a spur gear 53 meshing with a somewhat smaller gear 54, the latter being keyed as at 55 on the hub of an idler gear 56. The latter gear is mounted for rotation on a stud shaft 51, projecting from the head casting IS. The gear 56 meshes with a drive gear 58 fixed. on the main shaft 20, so that during rotation of the latter. movement will be imparted simultaneously to the feed auger 22 of the hopper H, the rotatable grinding plate 25, the pumps 35, 31 and 38 and the conveyor 48 in a uniform and synchronized manner. I

Another important feature of the present invention residesin providing the walls forming the casing ill with a'plurality of intercommunicating compartments -or jackets 59 which are adapted for the reception of a circulating fluid heat carrier, preferably hot water or steam. Such a heated fluid may enter the casing,,fromany suitable source, by way of the pipe line 60, disclosed in Fig. 3, and will pass around the bottom and side walls of the hopper II as well as around the walls of the mixing chamber l3 and communicating jackets formed in the discharge spout casting mixture, with the several ingredients thereof automatically proportioned, is then delivered to the homogenizer which by the combined effects of heat and agitation, blend and uniformly merge the several ingredients of the mixture in desired relative proportions throughout the mass of the composition so that when discharged, it will possess the desired taste, consistency and resistance to oil separation.

The use of the mill in producing a food compound known commercially as peanut butter has been particularly stressed. It is obvious, however, that the invention is applicable to the grind- 52, additional communicating jackets being 10- cated adjacent to the grinding plates 24 and 25, as

- disclosed at 6| in Fig. 2 and at 62 in Fig. 4. By

the employment of the extraneously supplied heat, developed by the circulation of hot water through the jackets described, the peanut butter mixture during the grinding and mixing steps attains a temperature of the order of 190 Fahr.

, or minimized.

It is presently believed that the heating of the mixture enables a finer reduction of the nut kernels to be obtained, together with an even distribution of the stabilizing agent'therethrou'gh, the said agent adhering to the starches composing the nut kernels and preventing contraction of the starch grains following grinding so that sufficient surface area of the reduced solids is presented to which the oils of the mixture will tenaciously adhere, thereby preventing subsequent separation of the oils in a free state from the solids. The viscous hydrogenated oil is also so well disseminated in the ground nuts by the combined grinding and heating operationsthat it readily combines with or absorbs the natural peanut oils released from the nut kernels or the green peanut oils added to the mixture. In fact, it is practical to add as much as ten per cent. by weight of a peanut oil, olive oil or other edible oil to the ground mixture without excess oil separation from the finished product. Also, there may be added sweetening fluids, such as honey, glucose, maple syrup, without separation thereof in the finished product.

Our improved heat controlled peanut butter mill includes the synchronized pumps 38, 31 and 38 which will deliver any desired proportion of the stabilizing agent on the peanuts before the latter.

sired, it may be supplied by the third pump. This iii ing of all types of edible nuts for th production of food pastes entirely different in taste from peanut butter or blends thereof The stabilizing agent consists preferably of a hydrogenated peanut oil with a melting point as high as Fahn. the use of such an agent being made possible by the heat supplied to the mill.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of manufacturing compounded peanut butter comprising distributing on the surfaces of roasted nut kemals a high melting point hydrogenated oil, grinding the nut kernels with the 'oil contained thereon to a state of fine subdivision while the nuts are maintained at a temperature in excess of that developed by ordinary grinding, supplying additional quantities of an edible oil to the ground mixture, and thoroughly agitating and working said mixture to produce a uniform blend of the several ingredients comprising the mixture throughout the massof the latter.

2. The method of producing compounded pea-- nut butter comprising applying to roasted peanut kernels a hydrogenated oil having a melting point not substantially in excess of 140 Fahr., subjecting the oil-coated peanuts to a grinding operation to reduce the same to a state of fine subdivision with the hydrogenated oil uniformly distributed in the ground product, adding additional quantities of an edible oil to the ground product, and

while continuing the heating of the mixture,

working the same mechanically to uniformly blend and distribute the oils thruoghout the mass thereof.

4. The method of manufacturing an edible nut compound, comprising grinding roasted nut kernels in the presence of an oleaginous addition agent to a state of fine subdivision, heating the nut kernels and the addition agent during such grinding to a temperature substantially in excess of that incident to normal grinding, adding consistency regulating and flavoring agents to the ground nut kernels, and homogenizing the resultant mixture under the influence, of extraneously upplied heat to produce a food compound wherein the several ingredients thereof are uniformly proportioned and blended throughout the mass of the compound.

5. In the manufacture of compounded peanut butter, the steps comprising coating whole roasted peanuts with a hydrogenated edible oil, grinding the nuts with the oil contained thereon to a state of fine subdivision while the nuts are maintained at a temperature of the order of 190 'Fahr" adding additional quantities of a relatively free flowing edible oil to the ground mixture, and then additionrliy'working the mixture while the same is under the influence of extraneously applied heat to produce a butter wherein the several ing'redients are uniformly pr p rtioned and blended throughout the mass thereof.

.61The method of producing compounded peanut butter comprising the steps of introducing roasted peanut kernels into a. heated grinding mechanism. continuously s ppl ing hydrogenated oil at a regulated rate to the kernels as the same are beinz'lround, continuously supplying additional consistency regulating and flavoring agents at regulated rates to the ground mixture immediately following the grinding operation. and homogenizing the resultant mixture during the 10 continuous application of heat.

JONATHAN C. V. RICHARIEON. FREDERICK H. HOFFMAN. 

